Ask the Child Therapist Episode 83 Kid Edition: How to Help Kids with a Fear of Ghosts and the Paranormal

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How to Help Kids with a Fear of Ghosts and the Paranormal

What do Annabelle, Bloody Mary, Five Nights at Freddy’s and Slender Man all have in common? They freak anxious kids out! And lucky for us there seems to be an endless supply on tap to help perpetuate the fear of ghosts and paranormal.

[to see the Kids Youtube video on this topic scroll to the bottom of the page]

This is one of the most common fears I treat in my therapy practice.

The fear of ghosts can snowball into some major issues! Kids have issues going to sleep, staying asleep and sleeping alone. They become scared of going into rooms by themselves and they get freaked out easily.

The fear of ghosts is an equal opportunity phobia – and it can hit a kid or teen of any age. This isn’t a baby issue, this is an anxiety issue.

So what can a parent do when their child is paralyzed with the fear of ghosts and the paranormal?

Start with Education

Too many kids are getting their fear of ghosts from what they see in movies and on Youtube.

“Not my kid!” – I hear you say. “We monitor everything they watch.”

Kids don’t have to see these movies to learn about them. They are also learning about these things in the school lunchroom. Kids aren’t sitting around camp fires telling ghost stories, they are sitting around the lunch table. And sometimes they have easy access to a little movie screen – their phone.

So educate them on special effects. Educate them on urban legends. Teach them that not everything they see or hear is real.

Talk to them about how kids love to share spooky stories, but that doesn’t mean they are real.

Moth to Fire
Teach your kids that what they put in their brain will stay in their brain. There is a weird moth to fire phenomenon with the fear of ghosts and the paranormal. The same kids I treat for anxiety around the paranormal are drawn to the paranormal.

I know that doesn’t make sense, but it’s true.

So we want to educate our kids that our brain files whatever you put in it away. That file can be accessed at any time, especially by our anxiety. Do we really want to provide material for our anxious brain to use against us?

I think not!

Of course we could put everything in lockdown mode and bubble our child from what they see, hear and watch – but where there is a will, there is a way.

That is why teaching our kids to stay away from scary paranormal things is better. There will always be conversations. There will always be popular movies. There will always be the latest Youtube video. We want our kids to learn that those topics aren’t healthy for their anxiety.

Just like a diabetic stays away from too much sugar, an anxious person should stay away from creepy stuff.

Let Me Talk to Them

A few months ago I decided to go where the kids are – youtube. If that is where kids are getting bad information, maybe they can get some good information as well!

I’ve received several requests (from kids!) to make a kids Youtube video to help them deal with the fear of ghosts and the paranormal.

This site is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. This page may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission for items purchased. I would never endorse any product I didn't recommend. Click here for my full disclosure statement.

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